Day Hiking, Olympic Peninsula (Done in a Day) [Paperback]

Craig Romano (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 2007 | Series: Done in a Day

Introducing next-generation trail guides for the Northwest. We asked hikers what they want in a trail guide today and this is what they said: more day hikes, with options for extending the trip; hike selection conveniently arranged by highway and travel corridors; more hikes close to urban centers; more year-round hikes at low elevation; clear driving directions; a portable size; and more use of color.

To meet the needs of the modern hiker, The Mountaineers Books introduces its new Day Hiking guidebook series, written by Northwest residents with impressive hiking resumes. These guides provide accurate information in attractive, high-quality packaging and are infused with the environmental ethic that distinguishes The Mountaineers Books from other outdoor publishers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Romano is one of the better guidebook writers around... there's a lot to like about this book." -- Seattle PI

"The most comprehensive guide to day hiking on the Olympic Peninsula." -- WowWeather.com

"The newest, Craig Romano's Day Hiking: Olympic Peninsula is easily the best of the lot.." -- Voice of the Wild Olympics

"The series has a new look, with clear graphics, detailed maps, elevation profiles and plenty of informative sidebars." -- Washington Trails magazine

About the Author

CRAIG ROMANO was raised in New Hampshire where he fell in love with the natural world. He has traveled extensively, from Alaska to Argentina and Sicily to South Korea, seeking wild and beautiful places. He ranks Washington State, his home since 1989, among the most beautiful places in the world and he has thoroughly hiked it from Cape Flattery to Puffer Butte, Cape Disappointment to the Salmo-Priest. But he still misses the East Coast, especially when it comes to getting a decent Italian meal. Craig holds a BA in history, a master's degree in education, and an AA in Forestry. An avid hiker, runner, kayaker, and cyclist, Craig has written about his passions for many publications, including Canoe and Kayak, Northwest Runner, AMC Outdoors, Backpacker and The North Columbia Monthly. Trails editor for Outdoors Northwest, he is also the author of Best Hikes with Dogs: Inland Northwest, Day Hiking Olympic Peninsula, and Columbia Highlands: Exploring Washington's Last Frontier, all published by The Mountaineers Books. He lives in Skagit County, Washington, close to the North Cascades and San Juan Islands.

Product Details

• Paperback: 354 pages
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books (April 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159485047X
• ISBN-13: 978-1594850479
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,710 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Travel > United States > Washington > Olympic Peninsula
  • #16 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Mountaineering > Mountain Climbing
  • #17 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Hiking & Camping > Excursion Guides

More About the Author

Craig grew up in rural New Hampshire where he fell in love with the natural world. A former backcountry ranger in the White Mountain National Forest, ski bum in Vermont, and hiking guide in the Pyrenees of France and Spain; the outdoors are his calling! He has traveled extensively, from Alaska to Argentina, Sicily to South Korea, seeking wild and spectacular landscapes. He ranks Washington State, his home since 1989, among the most beautiful places on the planet and he has thoroughly hiked it, over 15,000 miles worth from Cape Flattery in the NW to Puffer Butte in the SE; Cape Disappointment in the SW to the Salmo-Priest Wilderness in the NE.
An avid hiker, runner, paddler, and cyclist, Craig has written about these passions for over a dozen publications, including; Backpacker, Paddler, Northwest Travel, Northwest Runner, AMC Outdoors, Adventures NW, Seattle Met, and Outdoors NW. Content writer for Hikeoftheweek.com, he is the author of eight books and co-author of three others. He is currently working on Day Hiking San Juan and Gulf Islands (Mountaineers Books 2014)and Day Hiking Mount St Helens, co-authored with Aaron Theisen (Mountaineers Books 2015). He holds several degrees; an AA in Forestry from White Mountains Community College (NH), a BA in history and a Masters in education from the University of Washington. He lives with his wife Heather and cat Giuseppe in Skagit County.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great start to the new series! May 1, 2007

By J. Mullene

Format:Paperback

I picked up this book yesterday at the mountaineers bookstore after patiently waiting for it for weeks and I'm happy to say the wait was most definitely worth the wait.

This title is a great revision of the classic '100 hikes' series perfectly geared for the modern hiker. The text is much more concise and direct with much clearer maps and directions. Gone are the Harvey Manning style trail reviews that often turned into personal meditations where meaning and fact had to be gleaned with much care. As is evident by the title, the focus is also entirely on Day Hiking, with a scant minority of the hikes exceeding 10 miles round trip. This is in sharp contrast to the classic hikes series in which most volumes were heavily slanted toward multi-day backpacking treks. This probably bodes well for the old series staying in print as it will still have a definitive niche. There is also a much greater emphasis given to year round hikes with many low elevation destinations included in the whopping 125 hikes listed in the book.

My one complaint would be that the snazzy 'hike overview chart' at the beginning of the book misses out on a few helpful details that would make finding a desirable hike quickly easier, specifically these details would be elevation gain, specific months accessible and the subjective star rating of the hike's overall quality that. All these details are of course available for each hike in the meat of the book. What is included in the overview chart are things such as whether or not the hike is accessible year round, what scenic features each possesses, and subjective difficulty level on a 1-6 scale. Amusingly only one hike rates a 6 for difficulty which translates to "beyond strenuous".

Overall a great launch to a new series.... I'm highly looking forward to the Snoqualmie & South Cascades editions (both written by a different author) and hopefully many more to come after that! Read more ›

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceeds Expectations! April 30, 2007

By Zachary Oliver

Format:Paperback

I have been patiently waiting for this book to release ever since Father's Day of 2006. I met author Craig Romano on the trail and he featured individual pictures of me and my dad in two areas of this guide. At first, I wanted to pick up the book for its sentimental value but as I began to look through the pages I realized that there were a plethora of trails to choose from. I came across trails I have never seen written up in any guide book including the Theler Wetlands in Belfair, Twanoh State Park near Union and Penrose Point State Park. The driving directions and trail descriptions are highly accurate and there is a quick breakdown of each hike outlining the difficulty, open seasons, corresponding maps and accessibility. Each hike has been meticulously researched and it is evident that a great amount of time and effort went in to making this book as accurate and descriptive as possible. Out of all of the Olympic Peninsula trail guides I have read, this is quite possibly the best out there.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Very detailed September 10, 2009

By Misty

Format:Paperback

I purchased this book along with Erik Molvar's "Easy Day Hikes Olympic National Park" and between the two of them I was able to quickly locate and choose the exact hikes that not only fit my schedule, but my difficulty level, and time frame. I would recommend this to anyone planning a trip to the Olympic Peninsula.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excelent day hike book April 4, 2009

By Chicago girl

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I purchased this book before a 10 day hiking trip to the Olympic Peninsula and it is great. All of the hikes we did in the book were good (even hikes he only gave 1 star - if it is in the book at all, it is an enjoyable hike) and the write-ups give you a surprisingly good idea of what the hike will be like. The book is also more current that others that I purchased. For planning, it has a map in front that tells you what is near to what and what sort of terrain trails will cover.

Each section contains a summary (rating of 1 star to 5 stars, difficulty, length, elevation gain and maximum altitude, and the suggested season); maps; how to drive to the trail; and an "Extending your trip" section with suggestions for add-ons to make the hike a little longer or a little more interesting.

Overall an excellent book, and the only guide you need to plan your trip. I highly recommend it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice hikes - rating accurate - very practical September 15, 2009

By Ines

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This was the perfect book to take with us for our trip to the Olympic peninsula.
We didn't have the equipment to go camping in the back country so we wanted a book with one day hikes.
All hikes are accurately rated (how nice they are and how difficult), descriptions are useful, you get some maps.
It was just what we needed.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Well ordered & informative - not just pretty photos. April 14, 2012

By S. Broumley

Format:Paperback

It's nice to find a hiking book that is so packed with tips, descriptions, and actual information -- rather than simply plying you with nothing but beautiful photos. It even has a chart, where you can see at a glance where all of the snowshoe trails are or dog-friendly trails. Love it! :-D

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource, a must-have for a hiking library March 14, 2011

By Alecia J. Rivas

Format:Paperback

Yet another Craig Romano classic! I love Craig's writing style, concise and to the point, but interesting and detailed at the same time. Craig never misses a detail, and my hiking group (PNW Leisure Hiking), my family, and I use this book as yet another valuable resource for our hikes. These are clearly hikes "done in a day," and each of the hikes is a gem of the Olympic Peninsula. One of my favorite tidbits from Craig's books is that the author tends to list hikes that are rarely (if at all) found in other hike books. We've been able to get off of some of the over-populated trails this way. All in all, this book is a must-have for any serious Washington hiker.